("Common squirrel monkey" via Wikimedia Commons)
A few centuries ago, there once was a beautiful kingdom that
contained an enormous palace near a mysterious forest.
In the
palace lived a very wealthy king and his son, Ucay. Growing up, Ucay was always
forbidden to go near the forest, because there were dangerous witches that
lived in the middle of it. However, Ucay was about to turn 18, so he figured he
was brave enough to fight whatever came his way.
Ucay took
one of the white horses from the palace’s stable and eagerly rode into the
forest. The forest was mysteriously dark, even though it was still daytime. He
proceeded on a makeshift trail, towards a swamp that was headed north. The
swamp was a deep green color, and bubbling like a hot soup. However, it smelled
absolutely disgusting – Ucay could barely breathe. For a moment, he was trying
to take the scenery in when all of a sudden, someone shouted,
“What are
you doing here?!” Ucay could not tell where the source of the shouting was
located. He pulled out his sword, while his heart was starting to beat a little
faster than normal. Ucay started stealthily walking around the swamp, and then
finally came across a girl who was hiding behind a tree. She was a very petite
girl, with long, dark curly hair and pale skin. Her clothes were completely
black, with the exception of a few emerald jewels around the neckline.
“Uh… hi? I
am just exploring the forest,” Ucay said. “What are you doing here?”
“Not that
it is any of your business, but I live here. Well, not right here, but I live
in the forest with my family,” she replied. “My name is Stellabell. And I am
assuming from the crown and the royal horse, you must be the prince.”
“Wait if
you live here that must mean you are a—“
“Yep. A
witch. It is not a big deal unless you make it a big deal,” Stellabell said. From
that moment on, the two started learning more about each other and their lives.
They made an effort to become friends and meet up at least every other day. She
learned about his world and he learned about hers. They could not be more
different, but they still managed to get along really well.
After a few
years of being close friends, Ucay finally got the courage to ask Stellabell to
marry him.
“What would
your father say? He expects you to marry a princess,” Stellabell said.
“That might
be true, but once he gets to know you, he would absolutely love you. Just like
I do,” Ucay replied. Stellabell pondered this for a second, and then nodded in
agreement. They decided that it would be best if Ucay talked about this with
his father alone, so Stellabell stayed behind.
To Ucay’s
surprise, his father was actually in favor of him not marrying a princess, so
the two were able to get married within the next few months. And they have been
happily married ever since.
Author's Note: In the original story, the prince is supposed to find a girl to marry, but he falls in love with a witch and is afraid his father won't approve. So the king ends up picking his wife, and the witch becomes furious and turns him into a monkey. I liked the idea of the prince and the witch falling in love, so I builded more on that part of the story.
Bibliography: "The Enchanted Prince" from Dean S. Fansler's Filipino Popular Tales; link to the reading online
